From Cyest to Memphis
by Jenivi7
Summary: I assure you, my party will be no trouble, and of course, you will be more than adequately compensated." "'Adequately compensated' won't even begin to cover the headache.
1. I

A/N: Alright, SO! Since this was posted I've done a LOT of work on it and plan to do a lot more, though most of what's been added (and most of what will be added) is going to reside somewhere in the middle and I really didn't want to move the story so what I've come up with is replacing the first chapter with the first section and adding each additional section as a proper chapter, this way I can upload the edited sections mostly in their order. The story in it's entirety does still exist, however! It's new home is my LJ, http://jenivi7 .livejournal .com/75576 .html (clickable link will be posted in my profile) and that will reflect all the updates and changes as well. I know, kinda an ordeal but it seemed the best way to preserve this spot as the story's permanent home and keep the faves and lovely reviews the story has gotten so far *hearts!*

For this section specifically, there's been a bit more added to the end, dialogue and the beginning of an important contrast between Atem and Set that didn't get included in the contest original for lack of time to really develop it properly XD

* * *

On the port planet of Cyest, along the very outer rim of the Liisen system, in a bar that catered to the lowest element, the crews of cargo and slave vessels - cargo headed in and out from other systems and slaves, due to regulation, shuttled strictly between planets - sat two men arguing unnoticed among the rowdier patrons. Just the situation that made The Dancing Star the ideal place for under the table dealings.

The two quieted quickly as an under dressed girl with a slave collar dropped two drinks on the table before disappearing back into the crowd. The shorter of the men in flight leathers with hair spiked to perfection and a decade out of date watched her, or rather, the symbol of her slavery with distaste. As soon as she was out of sight, the taller man, rail thin with a royal grace and ill fitting clothing selected to be nondescript and failing horribly, took up his case again.

"I assure you, my party will be no trouble."

"I'm sure you think so."

"And of course, you will be more than adequately compensated."

"'Adequately compensated' won't even begin to cover the headache. Ra, a diplomat. And a priest besides." The last was muttered to himself. "My ship is small with basic accommodations. I'm sure that with as much money as you're offering me, you can find something far more suited to your needs."

"What I _need_ is discretion. All we're asking is passage and the Amenti system is hardly asking you to take us to the Edge." The man stopped himself and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, I just need a ride that's fast and off the record. My sister and I-"

"The woman you were with earlier? She wasn't your sister," the man in flight leathers challenged.

Actually, he hadn't gotten a good look at the girl at all when he'd first met the man outside of town. (His first mate had picked up their distress signal and it had seemed genuine enough, and safe enough when they had made initial contact for Atemu to go out alone.) The challenge was just a test, of course, a way of drawing out more information from a potential client, the expected answer being immediate denial and some lame explanation of how each sibling took after a different parent or something of the like. It was the _way_ the person answered that was important. It gave hints as to how well they had practiced their story, how trustworthy they might be, and just how much they were trying to hide from him.

What he didn't expect was the silence that met his accusation. The man across from him just glared, face as closed off and carefully schooled to expressionlessness as it had been from the moment he approached the sky captain, Atemu, as he had introduced himself. And Atemu was currently taking the lack of denial as an indication that he had guessed correctly.

"Oh holy f- She's really not your sister! Son of a- Ra on a stick! So let's review, shall we? THE high priest of Memphis, (don't think I don't recognize you from the feeds, you aren't hiding _that _well), is looking for an off the logs 'ride' back to his home planet with a mysterious female companion that he's trying to pass off as his sister. Absolutely not! I don't-"

"Who is also willing to pay more than you make in three years of shuttling about your _regular_ type passengers," the man who had introduced himself as Seth cut him off, leaning forward over the table. "Don't think that I don't recognize you either. You may be hero to half the known galaxy but I doubt the Guardians would object if I turned you in right now. In fact, I'm sure there would be a handsome reward involved."

Atemu regarded the priest quietly as the man sat back in his seat, picking up the drink in front of him and sniffing at it before putting it back on the table untouched.

"Something makes me think they wouldn't take kindly too you right now either, sneaking around with a woman who's probably an escaped slave." He tapped fingers against his lips in thought. There was, of course, a few other possibilities he could think of, one or two of which might even be worth the trouble of what was going to obviously be a human smuggling mission. "Tell me who the girl is and I'll consider it."

"Accept us as passengers and I'll tell you who she is," Seth shot back immediately.

"No! I-" Atemu cut himself off, drawing a breath that shook with frustration. "Alright, I'll level with you. I am who you think I am and I do what you think I do but I like to know what I'm getting myself and my crew into before I take on a 'passenger.' I need to know that I'm not bringing down so much trouble on my head that I won't be able to help anyone else in the future."

Seth was quiet for a moment before speaking. "She saved my life and I am returning the favor." Atemu waited for him to continue. When he didn't, the captain put both hands on the table and rose to his feet.

"No deal."

"Wait! She's a priestess." Seth's hand shot out as he spoke, his fingers closing around one of Atemu's wrists to keep him from leaving. "She's a Drakonic priestess, one of the most talented they have and must you know how they treat those with abilities here. They keep them drugged and sickly, in a semi-conscious, ranting state until they're needed rather than giving them the training and respect deserved by someone who can hear the gods."

The impassioned speech was, by far, the most emotion the stoic man had shown all evening and after another long moment of consideration, a small smirk formed at the corner of Atemu's mouth and he eased himself back into the chair.

"Spoken like a true priest of Memphis."

"Strange that a man from Amenti himself would scoff at his own heritage."

"How did you-?"

"Few outside the system know our gods and you've cursed them several times already."

Atemu spread his hands in surrender. "In my experience, that's all they're good for." The scowl he received would have made a lesser man flinch but Atemu's smirk only widened. "Well then, I suppose the next order of business is figuring out how to get the two of you off planet."

The disapproval immediately dissolved from the other man's face as he realized his offer had been accepted and he seemed at a loss as Atemu picked up the drink in front of him, gave it the same sniff test that the priest had earlier, put it to his lips and drained the glass.

"Well you certainly can't just walk on board; I have to declare all passengers and cargo and the docking stations are monitored. We'll obviously need to leave as soon as possible, the girl will be missed if she's not already, which means we won't have time to make official enough documents and we wouldn't be able to disguise either of you well enough to get past security anyways..."

"I'm sure with hair dye and a few holographics-"

"Don't you think they know to check for those? There are millions of people in this system that would love nothing more than to leave it. Most of the fancy security around here is geared toward making sure the wrong people don't get _out_." He tapped his empty glass on the table a few times then slammed it down, eyes lighting with excitement. "Hey! Didn't you say you stole a planet hopper to get out of [Central]?"

Seth nodded.

Atemu grinned.

"Have you ever heard of Reynolds' Maneuver?"


	2. II

A/N: STORY UNDER CONSTRUCTION! More details in the previous chapter but basically, to keep this as the permanent home of the story as it fills out and expands, I replaced the first chapter with just the first section and will add to it from there. The whole story does still exist in my LJ, http://jenivi7 .livejournal .com/75576 .html (clickable link posted in my profile.)

For this section, just small edits and bits added to, hopefully, blend the scene more solidly into the rest of the story as it's one of the first sequences I wrote, before _certain characters_ (Yes, you Seth. Don't snort at me like that. Alright, so it's Atemu's fault too but he didn't give me such a hard time about it!) felt it necessary to reveal some VERY IMPORTANT DETAILS.

* * *

"Please tell me you haven't lost your mind, sir."

Atemu hadn't been lying about the basic accommodations of the ship. Besides a small cargo hold, enough for small, private loads, the engine room and the cockpit, there were seven closet sized sleeping rooms, a common room and a kitchen. The common room was the only space of a decent size, large enough to hold fourteen people comfortably. Or one thoroughly outraged girl.

"I haven't lost my mind, Mana."

Atemu's first mate and technophile stood with her hands on her hips, staring him down. She was short, slender, and intimidating as fuck even with her bright clothing, bouncy pony tail and the small, colored lights that danced along the right side of her face and across the back of her hands indicating that she still had an eye and an ear on the rest of the galaxy even while chewing out her captain.

"But you know who that is, right?" Her tone dripped with sarcasm and heavy disapproval. No, there was no way Atemu could not know the man, and yet, besides the possibility sudden, selective amnesia, she couldn't how Atemu could have agreed to take him on.

"Of course I know who he is! I'd have to be blind and dumb not to."

"Well then we've at least ruled out the blind part. Sir."

He raised both hands in front of him in defense against her sharp tongue. "Like I said, he's just looking for a ride home for himself and a lady friend he seems to have picked up while planet side."

"But sir," her tone turned from scolding to concerned, "what if he recognizes you?"

Atemu, however, had a ready answer for her.

"If he does he does, I'll deal with it then." He shrugged lightly. "And he's supposed to be a smart man, he may have figured it out already. Either way, it should be a fun game."

He winked at her and she huffed, muttering 'a fun game' exasperatedly under her breath but seemed to relent and he charged on ahead, issuing orders for departure.

"Get us clearance to leave early tomorrow morning. As early as possible. Oh, and we'll be preforming Reynolds' Maneuver on the way out."

"WHAT?"


	3. III

A/N: This section fairly unchanged from the original. XD

* * *

Reynold's Maneuver: The act of 'catching' a smaller ship and docking it to a larger vessel in mid flight, particularly during the process of leaving the planet. It's a legendary trick known by all but attempted by few, mostly smugglers, due to the skill and precision required by both pilots. It takes a steady hand and good eye to not only get close enough to latch the ships together, but to then collide the ships in such a way that they sealed together instead of sending them both spiraling to the ground below. Too hard, and there was the possibility of damaging the delicate systems of either ship, too soft and the ships would bounce away from each other, the forces involved in escaping the planet's atmosphere pulling them apart forcibly and, again, causing more damage than either could afford at that stage of leaving the gravitational pull. It was a trick only attempted by the desperate and failed more often than succeeded but when accomplished, was a marvel of speed and surprise that was sure to leave planetary security blinking in its wake and wondering what had just been stolen or lost.

Atemu had always wanted to try.

He sat strapped into the pilot seat, waiting for the okay from Mana who chattered away with ground communications beside him.

She paused to listen momentarily, gave him the thumbs up, and after a quick check with the third member of the crew in the control room over the internal comm channel, hit the launch sequence, lifting off with far more power than was necessary, or standard regulation. Atemu could hear the immediate protests over Mana's link and her hurried apologies and excuses. She blamed everything in rapid radio chatter ranging from having a new 'hot shit' pilot to an incompetent mechanic who couldn't get the thrusters working properly, all with a grin on her face and a mischievous glint in her eye as she verbally abused her crew mates. The man on the other end seemed mollified and the link grew silent until they were about halfway out of the planet's atmosphere and another, smaller craft could be seen on a rendezvous course.

The link sprang back to life with demands for information and that they return immediately to the planet and Mana began to argue amiably and play the oblivious female until Atemu gave her the signal to cut communications all together, which she did gladly while her captain worked furiously to override the mandatory launch settings.

"Alright Ryou, she's ready! Give it all she's got!" he yelled into the comm and the ship's engines flared to full power, shaking the vessel unsteadily for a moment before her flight path evened again.

Nearby, the smaller ship's thrusters responded with a similar burst of speed and the two sped toward each other as a lone security skimmer streaked to their position from too far away to intercept before they reached the atmosphere's edge, Mana easily blocking the emergency cease and desist signal that it beamed toward both crafts.

After Atemu had insisted that Seth join him in a drink or two the evening before, the man had done a bit of boasting as to his own piloting ability and it was apparent now as he eased the planet skipper right up under Atemu's ship and hooked the airlocks together before the two ships collided. And held.

Mana's cheers and Atemu's whoops could be heard throughout the craft as the two vessels broke atmosphere together and sped through the nearest star portal before it could be locked down and prevent their escape.

* * *


	4. IV

Mana and Atemu stood in front of the airlock as the third member of their crew worked the locks, making sure nothing had been damaged badly enough to prevent a solid seal. He was a pale wisp of a young man, obviously Drakonic himself at least in part if one were to judge by the light blue tint to his otherwise colorless hair, and served as the ship's mechanic as he had an unnatural ability to see and hear the workings of the ship in a way neither one of them could even fathom. Whereas Mana had been with Atemu when he purchased the star craft nearly ten years ago, Ryou was a more recent addition, having only been part of the crew for just over three.

"Well, as far as I can tell, everything seems to be in working order."

"Good! Open it up and we'll see for sure."

Ryou did so, releasing the final locks and grinning at the hiss of compressed air that meant the seal between the two ships was tight. He pulled the door open and they all watched as the process was repeated from the other side and Seth entered the ship, leading tall woman with him. She was still dressed in temple silks, a simple robe that fell gracefully across her body to her ankles and the first thing she did was reach up to pull the shawl back from where it covered her head and hair and smile at them almost shyly, gratitude written across her features. It turned to confusion, however, when Atemu and Mana didn't make a move to greet either of them, just stared.

She turned her head up to look at Seth (she was taller than Atemu but her companion still had a good five inches on her at least) and was further baffled to see him staring as well, just, not at her. She followed his eye line to where Ryou stood, still holding the door and gasped.

Both Mana and Atemu _had_ expected her to look somewhat like their crew member, the pale coloring being shared by the good majority of his race, what they hadn't expected was her to look exactly like him. She shared his hair color and skin tone, of course, but she also shared his eyes, facial features, slender build, height... Really, the only marked difference between the two was gender.

The mechanic in question gave a startled cry and brushed past them all, grasping the woman's forearms as soon as he was within reach and she clung to his just as hard. They stared at each other for a moment more before both breaking into a rapid fire form of what the others could only assume was their native language, chattering at the same time as though the words wouldn't come fast enough, until they were laughing and crying and embracing.

Atemu was the first to react and gave a low whistle. "Huh. You'd think they were long lost twins or something." The comment was to himself but Ryou and the priestess both went silent, turned to look at him, and then practically fell over each other with laughter.

When Ryou could speak again, he let go of one of the woman's arms and stepped aside, presenting her to the rest of the crew. "Captain, I'd like to introduce you to my sister, Kisara."

Without relinquishing her firm grip on Ryou, one he still returned and they would both have bruises later though neither seemed to care, she beamed at them all, dropping into a deep, respectful bow, nerves shyness completely gone.

Atemu nodded and offered his name, his own informality in equal measure to her formality but no less welcoming. Mana, however, rushed forward to give her a large hug. It seemed to startle the priestess but she returned it just the same.

"Sister?! You've got to be his twin!" Mana exclaimed, pulling back from the woman to hold her at arms length by the shoulders even as Kisara was a good deal taller.

"If she's his sister, she must be his twin. Drakonic women only bear children once in their lifetime though two or three children at once isn't nearly as rare as in most other races."

Atemu would have normally made a comment about smart-ass know-it-all show-offs but he was too focused on his mechanic. The boy who had been quiet and sullen for the entire three years that they had known him now practically glowed in the presence of the woman.

"Ryou," he said with a quiet sort of curiosity, "you never mentioned a sister."

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A/N: Also a scene that had to be trimmed due to time so the end is more filled out now. And it leads perfectly into what will be the new V! Tho you don't get to see that for a few days yet XP


	5. V

When he was ten, Ryou wanted a bird. He wanted to let it go, watch it fly, then, unlike a real bird, he wanted it to come back to him. He wanted it so badly that it took form in his mind. He could see exactly how to build his bird from beginning to end. He could see the design and hold it there, make it larger or smaller, see the whole thing or just one piece. He could see each and every part and how they fit together, where to solder the connections, where to pin the joints so that they would move, part after part and piece after piece, he just _knew_.

He didn't sleep that night and his sister covered for him, then snuck from the shared bedroom after their parents fell asleep and stayed up that night as well because if one didn't sleep, neither did the other. She watched in awe as he moved excitedly around the small flat, gathering items that contained the parts he would need and taking them apart down to the very last screw. She hovered over his shoulder as two of their toys, one headset for school ("Mom will be mad." "Don't worry, I can fix it."), and one of Father's tools met their fate at small, clumsy hands as they were rendered to their basic components. Then Ryou began to build.

"Dad's going to be mad too," Kisara warned. She made no move to actually stop her brother, sharing in the excitement of his vision, but thought that he at least deserved proper warning.

"I can fix the charge scrambler too, but I need these right _now_." He pulled four long, thin metal rods from the pile of parts on the floor and held one up between them to show her. "It's the only thing that will do for the wings."

"How? How do you know it's the only thing? How do you know you can put it back together?" Her own wonder at watching her brother combine the mechanical workings in ways she would have never thought possible tempered the line of questioning. She was watching something larger than herself unfold and she knew it.

Ryou shrugged. "I just know." He stopped to think about it, hands still idly placing gears together and securing them as his eyes became slightly unfocused in finding a more proper answer to the question. "I think the same way you know when mom and dad are asleep. Or when I'm sad."

This made the girl smile brightly, happiness filling her heart and when her brother looked up at her and mirrored the expression, she knew it was the same thought making him happy as well.

They were both special now.

-

In the morning, when both parents stumbled out of their bedroom and entered the debris strewn living area in time to see the crude elegance of their son's first creation blink to life in the boy's hands, they panicked.

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A/N: Just a reminder! The full story is on my LJ at http://jenivi7 .livejournal .com/75576 .html XD


	6. VI

"For three days our parents yelled at each other, Mom wanted to try and get us both off the planet and out of the system entirely but Dad wouldn't hear it. He worked for the temple and kept saying it wasn't any use, that they'd find us anyway. In the end, she only took me." Ryou nursed the warm drink that Mana handed him as he finished the story. They had all moved to the common area when they realized his explanation was going to be a long one, Atemu and Mana making for a rapt audience and Seth... not so much but at least he still listening attentively even if his emotionless blue eyes did unnerve Ryou a bit. Okay, a lot. But it was at least tempered by having his _sister_ leaning against his arm with her head resting on his shoulder and their hands still wrapped tightly together as though trying to make up for eight years missed all at once.

"So what happened then?" Mana asked, leaning forward so far in her chair that she was in danger of falling off. Ryou rubbed the back of his neck and thought that it figured Mana would be the one to ask about the part of the story he wasn't exactly ready to tell yet. Even less so in unfamiliar company.

He shrugged. "She succeeded. Mostly. We made it to Cyest and then she also paid a smuggler to take us– um, to take me to the closest system. I ended up on Eisen where Atemu found me." He looked away and hoped the five year gap in the story hadn't sounded as obvious to everyone else as it did to him. Fortunately, Mana's questions took a different route.

"And what happened to Kisara?" It really was a wonder she hadn't fallen off her poor chair.

Kisara looked slightly embarrassed at the question and hesitated before saying something briefly in Drakonic to Mana and then turning to Ryou and saying something decidedly longer. He asked a question back in confusion and she ducked her head, fiddling nervously with her hair as she answered. Comprehension dawned on his face and Kisara poked him and nodded in Mana's direction.

"Sorry! She understands because it's part of her ability but she can't speak Common yet." He hesitated until his sister poked him again and said something that sounded like encouragement. "Though, she says she was taken by the temple shortly after I left..." His voice turned thick and he turned back to Kisara and whispered something quiet and desperate and the woman shook her head, shushing him and wrapping him tightly in her arms while he clung to her, shoulders shaking until he was able to look up again, offering apologies and wiping at his eyes.

"Sorry," he continued finally, "she also says she'll tell you everything you want to know when she learns."

The chair finally did tip, nearly toppling right to the floor but for Mana's quick reflexes and she steadied the seat and plopped back onto it, her eyes never leaving the pair and a huge smile lighting her face.

"Promise?" she asked Kisara directly.

The priestess smiled back, just as brightly and carefully mimicked the word, the syllables not quiet lining up correctly, but the sentiment true just the same.

"Promise."

VII.

_"How did you ever..."_

_"After you left, there was nothing worth feeling."_

* * *

A/N: Toyed with the idea of rewriting this sequence entirely but decided not to. Glad I kept it as is, actually. I think I like it this way XD Also added a bit to the end and now it feels way more finished.


End file.
